Happy Birthday - By Jacqui
by anngraham
Summary: An important celebration is drawing near, and Graham's looking for that special gift. Rated R. Written by Jacqui. A wonderful writer and good friend who is sadly no longer around.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All characters are entirely fictional and do not belong to me, they are the property of the creators of 'Swamp Thing'. Sadly I am making no money out of this.

**Notes:** many thanks to Leslie for her enthusiastic support and brilliant betaing - without which this story would have stayed just a figment of my imagination. Thanks also to Leslie and JJ for encouraging my weird rambling and giving me the confidence to try writing.

**Happy Birthday Dr. Arcane  
Part 1**  
by **Jacqui**

Stella was in hiding. If asked, of course, she'd have said that the dull but important paperwork she was doing was the sole reason for her being tucked away in the neglected basement room but no-one would have believed her. Having been at Arcane Industries for less than a year she hadn't been aware that this was the season when all wise employees scrambled over each other to book their annual leave, or find a legitimate family emergency. Indeed it was rumoured that some even went so far as to poison their Grandmothers so they had an excuse to leave Houma. It was a very tense time. Dr Arcane's birthday was only 2 days away.

The Doctor didn't like birthdays. Quite a few people didn't, Stella wasn't so keen herself. But he *really* didn't like them, and the impact of his dislike was being felt all around the compound. One good thing about this basement room was that it didn't have reflective surfaces. Usually the doctor was best kept where he could admire himself but at the moment it just brought on a load of misery. Stella had been caught out enough times, running into Doctor Arcane checking out his reflection for signs of ageing. Each real or imagined grey hair or wrinkle cast him further into depression, set him off onto a mournful monologue about the wilful neglect he suffered from the scientific community and led into a morbid questioning of how little time he had left, how little he had achieved. Stella fled; she had thought her employer's temper tantrums bad enough but this haze of melancholy  
was so much worse.

Then there was Graham, he was so much harder to avoid. Stella liked Graham and normally she welcomed his company but she just couldn't stand any more of his search for the perfect gift. She was sure that by now she'd seen every catalogue, visited every store and scanned every website that could possibly hold Graham's elusive Holy Grail - the one gift that would make Arcane happy and truly make him notice his most loyal assistant.

Stella was determined to concentrate on her dull task, while still keeping all her senses on alert. With a growing sense of panic she heard the hollow thud of footsteps approaching along the corridor. Graham had found her. He came staggering in clutching at one awkwardly shaped box, another parcel tucked under his arm.

"Stella, Stella," he yelped excitedly, "I've been looking for you everywhere. Look, it came!" Stella gazed at him blankly and Graham laid the boxes down, looking surprised. "You remember don't you? The order I placed with that British store that I didn't think would come in time. Well it's here!" He was squeaking with happiness so Stella didn't want to admit that she had no recollection at all of this order, out of so many hours of discussion most of Graham's gift ideas had faded to a merciful blur in her mind.

Graham carefully opened the larger box and reverentially unwrapped its contents. Stella blinked, she swallowed hard, she almost had to lift her hand to shield her eyes.

The first impression was of a swirling mass of, well, pinkness. Something very pink had emerged from that box. When her vision cleared she could see that it was a form of garment, shaped rather like a short dressing gown but of a much stiffer fabric, and she could definitely make out some velvet. On the collars and cuffs, the *very* bright pink collars and cuffs. The rest of the, er, item was an extraordinary pattern of what looked like great intertwining creepers in various shades of pink and lilac so vivid they looked capable of leaping off the fabric and strangling any unwary bystander. Stella could truthfully say that she had never seen anything like it.

"I've never seen anything like it," She said, truthfully.

Graham beamed, "It's a one-off," he said, "I had it specially designed, British tailoring. Dr Arcane always says that's the best."

"Um" Stella nodded; it was the only response she could manage.

Graham noted her dazed expression and said, "It's a smoking jacket, not that the Doctor smokes of course. That just means it's something to relax in."

Stella nodded again, the thought of anyone relaxing in that truly amazing garment had totally cost her the small capacity for speech that she had had left.

Graham suddenly thought of something and became even more excited. He looked for somewhere safe to lay down the jacket but, seeing all the dust, he thrust it into Stella's arms for safe keeping. She cradled it as if she'd been given a nest of scorpions to hold while Graham opened the smaller box.

"Look," he said, "they match."

Graham was holding up a pair of slippers.

"Bunny slippers" Stella managed to gasp, in the same colour as the velvet trimmings on the jacket. Cute, button eyed bright pink bunny slippers. Stella shuddered, she felt faint.

For the first time Graham realised that Stella's response wasn't what he expected. His face crumpled and Stella really hated herself. He had been so proud and happy, how could she spoil that? But wasn't it worse to let him just innocently walk into the response he would get from Dr Arcane? She hoped the doctor would treat Graham kindly but she was afraid he wouldn't, and that would simply destroy him. She spoke as gently as she could. "It's a lovely idea Graham, and so thoughtful. I just think the colours aren't really Dr Arcane's sort of thing. He does seem fonder of, well, dark colours?"

"I know Stella," Graham gazed down at the floor, the slippers limp in his hands. "I just wanted to get him something cheerful, to make him feel better." He risked looking up, "Birthdays make him depressed, you know."

"Yes, I know." She said gently.

"I just wanted to give him something personal, from me. So that he'd know how much I lo..." Graham swallowed and stuttered, forcing down the indiscreet word. He struggled with a sudden fit of stammering and came up with a substitute, "how much I *like* and respect him."

Stella looked at Graham, all the joy drained out of him, clutching the hideous slippers and making a hopeless job of hiding the intensity of his emotions. *Something has to be done,* she thought, *something really has to be done.*


	2. Part 2

Stella was at work particularly early on the morning of Dr. Arcane's birthday. She didn't want to risk losing her chance to intercept Graham and she knew he kept early hours. Indeed she sometimes wondered if he ever slept at all, or just lurked around the compound brooding protectively over Dr. Arcane. She found Graham in his office, tapping his fingers nervously over the gift wrapped parcels on his desk. Graham looked up warily when Stella came in, after a day's fruitless search of every shop within driving distance he had decided to go with his first instincts and give the doctor the bright and cheerful gifts he had first chosen and he wasn't looking forward to Stella's gentle disapproval. However she barely glanced at the parcels, and didn't seem to be concerned any more about his gift choices.

"Morning Graham," she said in her perkiest tones. She saw Graham's hands tighten on the ribbon that adorned his gifts and it stiffened her resolve. In his way he could be quite brave, constantly trying to earn Arcane's affection despite the constant abuse and insults he received. Extreme though her plan was she had to give it a try, at least do something to give Graham the chance he deserved. Trying to keep her tone casual she said, "why don't you get out of the office for a few minutes, try to relax?"

"Now?" Graham asked, "but I'm waiting for..." he waved his hand meaningfully over his crowded desk.

"You know the doctor isn't even up yet, and even then he won't welcome company until he's had his breakfast. Come on," she said brightly, "you don't want to just sit there."

"All right," he agreed, reluctantly. "What shall we do?"

"Why don't you come help me feed the mutants," she said, trying to make it sound like something she'd only just thought of.

It wasn't a very enticing offer, but Graham was never very good at arguing with Stella and he had already agreed so he got up, somewhat unwillingly.

Down in the cave Graham shuffled, bored. He really wasn't interested in the mutants and he did have more important things on his mind. This didn't bother Stella, indeed she was relying on Graham knowing nothing about the mutants. Dr. Arcane had long since lost interest in these failed experiments and, inevitably, that meant that there was no longer any reason why they would attract his assistant's attention. Stella was ladling gruel into the food trough and talking to her pets reassuringly. She flicked a quick glance at a large, half human lizard mutant and got a sly wink in return. Now all she needed was to get Graham a bit closer. "Could you just fetch me that packet of treats please?"

Graham picked up the packet and came forward to join Stella. Swiftly she risked a slight nod to the lizard mutant and it lunged forward in its chains, snarling and spitting out a stream of mucus. Stella managed to get out of the way but Graham got a full dose of the sticky substance on him, clinging to his shirt and oozing down his trousers. Stella gave a shriek of panic and grabbed at Graham's shoulder, pulling him backwards. "MOVE," she screamed, "Hurry, That mucus is toxic. If it gets on your skin it could kill you."

Not giving him time to think she spun Graham around and shoved him in the back, pushing him towards the old decontamination showers. Though they were no longer needed since Dr Arcane stopped experimenting in the caves Stella made sure they were kept in good repair for the mutants, which came in very useful just now.

She pushed a fully clothed Graham under the shower and turned on the water. Finally she was able to let out a sigh, and give a smile of thanks to the entirely harmless lizard hybrid.

"You'll have to take all your clothes off," Stella shouted.

"What!" Graham squeaked.

"Everything," she stressed, "Or you risk contamination.

After a moment some clothes came flying out of the shower. Shirt, trousers, even shoes and socks. "Everything!" Stella repeated rather sternly and she grinned broadly as Graham threw out a pair Snoopy boxer shorts. Then she got serious, time for one more piece of acting.

She started screaming, "GRAHAM! They've got loose! The mutants, HELP!" She barged into the shower, keeping up the noise and waving her arms to keep Graham disorientated. Being naked also kept him confused and off balance.

Scared about the mutants, panicked by Stella and trying desperately to use both hands to cover himself Graham wasn't too hard to push around. Stella managed to push him through the door to the torture chamber and get him most of the way over to the rack before he began to regain his senses.

"What *are* you doing," he spluttered, growing scarlet with embarrassment and clutching at his groin.

It suddenly occurred to Stella what Graham might be thinking and now it was her turn to blush. She gave him another shove towards the rack, and pointed up to the brightly coloured banner that she had managed to string from the ceiling [with great difficulty].

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR ARCANE' It read. Graham was still perplexed, "what...?" He repeated.

Stella pushed Graham up against the rack. She faced him very seriously, trying to ignore the fact that she was talking to a completely naked man. "Time to be honest," she said, "more than time. Graham I haven't known you very long but I do think that I know one very important thing about you. You love Dr Arcane, don't you?"

Graham turned his face away, unwilling to speak. Stella persisted, "You do love him?"

"Yes" he murmured, barely audible.

"And you want him?" Stella wouldn't allow a silence, "the truth now, you want him?"

"Yes, all right, yes!" he was virtually sobbing.

Stella took Graham's face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Then do something about it, before you waste any more time. Its for both your sakes Graham, you're making yourself miserable and he's not exactly happy is he?" Stella's voice softened, "Dr Arcane is as lonely as you are, it is such a waste for both of you. Isn't it worth taking a risk?"

Stella smiled, "look at all this Graham, at the very worst he can take it as a joke - it might at least cheer him up, and at the best..."

Graham thought for a moment. He was frightened, exhilarated and still in rather a state of shock. It was so hard to disagree with Stella. He took a deep breath, "OK, I'll go for it." He smiled weakly, "before I change my mind."

Stella smiled at him and reached up to the bond that were meant for his wrists. "You will have to move your hands," she said. Blushing deeply Graham laid himself bare. Stella coloured a little too but couldn't resist taking a quick look. *Well he's certainly got at least *one* reason for feeling confident,* she thought. Stella tied Graham's wrists loosely and then produced a length of red ribbon. She waved it playfully in front of him and he was briefly puzzled. Then he realised what she was intending.

"Oh come on Stella, isn't that a bit much?" He said, seized with another fit of embarrassment.

"Well," she giggled, "nothing succeeds like excess! Come on," she urged "go for it!"

Graham shifted slightly in his bonds and looked at her doubtfully. Finally he managed a tentative smile and let himself relax, "I give up Stella, just do your worst!"

Half an hour later Stella was anxiously trying to direct a grumpy and newly risen Dr Arcane down to the torture chamber. He slipped slowly at his tea and quibbled irritatedly. "But why do I have to go chasing round after Graham?"

"Because that's where your present is?" She answered.

It was a convincing argument, the doctor may not like birthdays but he did want his gifts. Still grumbling he put down his cup and set off to look for Graham.

Arcane entered the chamber and found himself wondering briefly if someone had slipped an hallucinogen into his tea.

He couldn't remember ever being so shocked. "Bloody Hell Graham, what do you think you're doing!?"

"Good question," Graham thought, *what *do* I think I'm doing!*

He could only manage one response, "Er, happy birthday Sir," he murmured weakly.

For a few beats Arcane stood silent, his mouth dropping open. Then he began to laugh, a genuine and very cheerful laugh. He clutched his stomach and laughed until he ran out of breath. At first Graham looked alarmed but when he realised that the doctor was responding with genuine good humour he risked a smile.

Arcane gasped and spluttered, "Graham you are priceless, I wouldn't have believed you had it in you. You have really made my day."

Graham grinned broadly and made a mental note never to let the Doctor know that this was Stella's idea.

Dr. Arcane peered more closely at Graham. For a moment he just stood, taking in the sight with an almost clinical detachment. Then he quickly stooped to readjust the slant of the rack so that Graham was tipped back until he lay almost flat. While the sight of his assistant trussed up and gift wrapped was certainly amusing Arcane was surprised to find that it also provoked in him a flicker of desire. Graham had completely surrendered himself to Arcane's power and this did have a real erotic charge. There was something about looking down on the man, seeing the anxiety in his eyes and the tension in his exposed body that aroused Arcane.

Graham blinked nervously up at Arcane while the doctor's gaze slowly took in every inch of his naked body. While the cool appraisal made did make him feel vulnerable it was also incredibly stimulating. Arcane gave little away as he carried out his meticulous study. He inspected Graham's firm, well muscled torso and spend some time checking the dense curls of reddish brown hair which covered his chest and tapered down to a finer, downy covering on his stomach. For a brief moment he tested out the texture of the chest hair between thumb and forefinger, a touch which sent an anticipatory shiver of pleasure through Graham's body.

The Doctor smiled slightly as he directed his attention to the other man's groin. He prodded carefully at the red ribbon, snuggly tied round Graham's limp cock. His probing finger brushed over the silky surface of the ribbon, so tantalisingly close to the sensitive flesh that Graham couldn't hold back a frustrated whimper when the finger was withdrawn. Arcane raised an eyebrow. "Very imaginative," he said, coolly taking in the growing signs of arousal, "You've been to a lot of trouble."

He became more serious, reflective and Graham started to worry. Graham's smile faded and he barely dared to breath. He feared that Arcane would lose interest now he had finished his inspection and it was an enormous relief when he felt the doctor's hand return to his groin. He was kept in suspense at first while Arcane toyed with the ribbon but then delicate fingers straying onto Graham's exposed genitals. Tremours of desire shook Graham's body and he responded eagerly to the increasing pressure of Arcane's touch, desperately aroused and confused all at once. The Doctor was looking at him very seriously, with just a hint of uncertainty in his grey eyes.

For a moment his pose of absolute self-confidence slipped.

"You are giving yourself to me?" He questioned.

"Yes." Graham whispered.

"I thought you were already mine." Arcane said, looking directly into Graham's eyes.

"Body and soul." Graham answered, struggling not to avert his eyes from the intensity of Arcane's gaze. Fingers clenching on the constraining ropes as he fought to keep from turning his head away.

The Doctor curled his fingers around Graham's growing erection. He shifted his hand to take a firmer grip and smiled at the other man's faint gasp.

"Body *and* soul," Arcane echoed, "Well that does open up some interesting possibilities, doesn't it?" Graham was favoured with a wolfish grin so seductive that it alone was almost enough to push him over the edge.

Sensing this, Arcane loosened his grip, causing Graham to let out a moan of frustration The doctor moved both hands to the ribbon decorating Graham's swollen cock. "Isn't this getting rather tight?" He enquired.

Graham nodded, wordlessly.

"Then I'd better make you more comfortable. After all I do like to take good care of my possessions."


End file.
